Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has taken possession of a fully-fitted United Nations (UN) Level Four Field Hospital, following the world body’s decision in June 2022, to cease operations of its Field Hospitals, and in consonance with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Ghanaian government and the UN, at the installation of the facility.
The Commander-In-Chief (C-In-C) of GAF and President of Ghana – His Excellency (HE) Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo received the instruments of transfer, on behalf of GAF, at a ceremony held on Wednesday 1 February 2023, at the Air Force Base, Accra, Ghana, from the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to Ghana – Dr Francis Chisaka Kasolo.
Dr Kasolo, in presenting the hospital, said the facility became operational in October 2020, and has supported the UN system COVID-19 Medical Evacuation Task Force throughout its 2 years of operations, providing life-saving care to over a hundred patients from 25 different countries, and playing a crucial role under the challenging context of the pandemic – COVID-19.
The facility is a 100-bed capacity hospital, with its own structural, essential and critical medical equipment and beds, fitted with care units such as 2 dialysis machines, fully-fitted laboratory, 2 fully-fitted Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Ambulances, a laundry service, a generator power supply system, an oxygen plant (largest oxygen plant in Ghana), an incinerator, a morgue and several other consumables and disposables.
UN rep who seemed glad with Government of Ghana’s decision to maintain the facility at the current location – the AFB, Accra – said his organization considers the location strategic because of its importance to emergency health service delivery.
The field healthcare center has the potential for providing emergency medical services, critical ICU care services, management of disasters, and other emergencies including medical evacuation training and capacity building for critical care medical teams, not only for Ghana, but indeed for the sub-region, he said.
The UN Field Hospital, at the onset has been operated by external experts, clinicians and paramedics, but over time and in keeping with the MOU, Ghanaians were fully integrated with operations, thereby building enormous capacity in local personnel, that is in Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics, and also provided an environment that enabled the UN and partners to stay in Ghana, during the heat of the pandemic and deliver on a range of critical services in fulfilling their Representatives’ Mandate.
HE President Akufo-Addo, in receiving the instruments, said the wealth of a nation depends on the health of its people, and it is for that reason when one meets a stranger, friend or family member, one first enquires about their state of health. He stated therefore, that Ghanaians have to be healthy to transform and make a happy future for themselves.
The President said that in line with Ghana government’s policy to ensure satisfactory access to healthcare for all, it deemed it necessary to make arrangements with the UN for the acquisition of the facility, ultimately leading to the decision to hand it over to the GAF, opining that with the coming on board of this facility, the capability of Ghana’s military to handle emergencies will be enhanced.
The Health Advisor to the President – Dr Nsiah-Asare, said in the midst of challenges of the pandemic, the hospital served as the much-needed capacity in times of unforeseen spikes of COVID-19 and allowed UN personnel globally to be treated with high level of care and professionalism.
He furthered that the hospital comes to Ghana at a time when there is the need for such purpose-built well-equipped and functioning response and critical care facility, to support the country’s health system, aimed at improving access in achieving health coverage, aid in emergency and infectious disease management, while it projects Ghana as a medical tourists Centre in the subregion.
Dignitaries present included Member of Parliament (MP), Bimbilla and Minister for Defence – Dominic Aduna Bingab Nitiwul, MP Nandom and Minister for Interior – Ambrose Dery, MP Dormaa Central and Minister of Health – Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, MP Atwima-Kwanwoma – Kofi Amankwa-Manu, Service Chiefs of GAF, Chief of Staff, General Headquarters, Senior Officers, (Rtd), Officers, Forces Sergeant Major, Regimental Sergeant Majors, Senior Non-Commissioned Officers, Soldiers and Defence Civilian Staff.
